


The Architect

by probablynotadalek



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Death Star, Starkiller Base
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 18:49:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5836738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/probablynotadalek/pseuds/probablynotadalek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's impossible that the Empire would be so careless as to make a weapon that was easily destroyed time and time again. Unless it wasn't carelessness at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Architect

They came for you third. First they went to a stranger whose name you don’t remember but whose face you’ll never forget. She refused, and they made an example of her, putting her death on gruesome display for all those who dare oppose the empire. She refused to destroy worlds so they destroyed her.

Second they came for your teacher. He was smarter. He told them that he was retired, he was too old, too prone to make mistakes. 

They came to you third and you knew that you could not run away so you did what they asked.

They wanted a weapon more powerful than anything the universe had ever seen. You told them that it was impossible but they showed you the numbers and the villains behind them and told you all you had to do was house it. You told them it would never fly but they told you they were just going to build it in space anyway. 

They called it the Death Star but had no idea how appropriate that was. You created them a weapon that would be destruction. You made them something that would be a beacon of hope. 

You never went aboard once it was finished. You could never feel comfortable surrounded by creatures in masks on a ship you had infused with so many weaknesses you were worried that they would discover one. 

The rebels came to you because they knew that you had created it. Somewhere you had saved the designs for just such a moment. They told you that if you didn’t give them exactly what they wanted they would take it from you. You told them they could have it, on one condition. 

A few hours later a stormtrooper found you tied to a chair and dripping with your own blood, half dead but never having felt more alive. They had attacked you, tortured you. It was an easy lie to tell because why would you destroy your own creation?

You weren’t there when they destroyed Alderaan, but you heard about it anyway. You couldn’t help but feel every life weighing down on you. Your father would call it the force but your mother would call it guilt. You had become the destroyer of planets and you would be the destroyer of more. 

You didn’t watch as your creation was destroyed but it was the only thing anyone was talking about.

They came to you again after scouring your designs. They pointed out every flaw you had concealed and told you to make it better. They watched your every move, checked every panel, every port. There would be no flaws once this project was finished but there would be while it was being built. 

You never said it louder than a whisper, but the message got to the right people. This time you watched from the moon below as the Death Star was destroyed a second time. You hear news that the Emperor and most of his associates were killed. It make you feel like maybe it was worth it. 

And then from the ashes of the Empire rises something new, something worse. They didn’t forget about you as you had hoped. They send a young man with orange hair and stern eyes who reminds you a little too much of those who came before. He tells you that they are recreating what the Empire was. You know what that means. They want your creation, but they want it bigger, better, flawless and you don’t have time to tell someone how to break it before it’s finished. 

There was a choice for you but the decision was obvious. You chose to keep breathing. 

They make you stay aboard the ship this time, for repairs, for assurance. They never could have suspected you, for who would have blamed the architect? 

One of the troopers assigned near you stands out, the way his hand holds his blaster like he can’t wait to set it down, the way he doesn’t relax until you smile at him. When asked, he says his name is FN-2187, but the way he says it lets you know that somewhere there is a real name waiting for him.

You worry that you say too much around him. He runs away, and you worry that maybe you didn’t say enough. 

You hear the name of the smuggler hero who has been vital to your life twice before. You know this is the end, but you don’t know how to prepare for it. You move to the other side of the ship and stand outside as it that will protect you. 

The time comes and you feel it shaking underneath you. Cracks form in it’s perfect exterior and you think that you have never seen anything more beautiful. 

You watch your creation crumble at your feet and you can’t help but smile.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like the Rogue One people owe me money??


End file.
